This invention relates to safety screens to prevent workers from falling from edges of building-construction precipices that include stair wells, elevator shafts, windows, balconies and from other high edges and openings in buildings under construction and with scaffolding used in performing exterior work thereon.
Safety barriers and nets to prevent workers from falling into stair wells, into elevator shafts, out of windows and from other high portions of buildings under construction or scaffolding are known. None are known, however to have opening-height closure, restraint reliability and cost-effectiveness in a manner taught by this invention.
Examples of most-closely related known but different restraints against accidental falling from construction precipices are described in the following patent documents:
Currently at building precipices, two-by-four boards nailed about forty-two inches high is the most common prevention against accidental falling into stair wells, into elevator shafts, out of windows and from other high portions of buildings under construction. Other known restraints against falling, such as described in the above prior art have not been adopted for effective use in the construction industry. An urgent need remains for effective building-precipice fall protection.
Objects of patentable novelty and utility taught by this invention, therefore, are to provide a construction safety screen which:
closes entire worker-area openings and precipices of construction buildings and scaffolding as appropriate to prevent accidental falling therefrom;
allows working ventilation and visibility;
can be put in place for temporary use and removed quickly and conveniently;
can be stored and reused;
can be customized for construction-precipice features;
is readily visible;
can be positioned inwardly from, in line with or outside of edges of building precipices;
can be tilted outwardly and upwardly to catch individuals who fall from work on or near outsides of buildings;
is reliable, sturdy and long-lasting; and
is cost-effective.
This invention accomplishes these and other objectives with a construction safety screen having structural capacity to screen predetermined portions of or entire worker-area openings and other precipices of under-construction buildings and scaffolding against individuals accidentally falling therefrom. The construction safety screen includes a fastening border, building-structure fasteners, netting apertures, visibility coloring, size adaptors and buckles, base rods, net struts, framework and guys. The net can be rolled up for light-weight shipping or storage and unrolled easily and conveniently for use and reuse.
The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention should become even more readily apparent to those skilled in the art upon a reading of the following detailed description in conjunction with the drawings wherein there is shown and described illustrative embodiments of the invention.